Jalapeño Pancakes
by Jillzy17
Summary: As fluffy as a pancake, but as hot as a jalapeño! Mexico and Canada share a continent, a grudge against America, and love of nature and food. The only problem is that they barely even know each other, so much that they don't know each other's last names or history. Maybe a taste of each other's country would help. Contains: Fluff, Human Names, and OOCness
1. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note: This is for TheAdventureGirl, a great reader of my fanfics. Her reviews are nearly as awesome as a couple of her stories. You should go check them out. Anyways, Mexico/Teresa is my OOC, she has a fanfic called Standing Tall, go read it if you like her here. (Woooh self advertisement)And if you want to see more of her in very non-history related instance, then request something in the reviews here. I understand this is a really weird title, but these do exist._**

Even though they shared a continent, Mexico and Canada never really met person to person in private. Even as colonies, Alfred whisked Teresa off from Matthew. Not that she liked this but she didn't fight back against the energetic boy with a death grip on her wrist.

As time went on, Matthew was surprised that Teresa got her independence. He found out when Teresa sent a letter of her independence to everyone she thought it mattered to. The fact he got one was almost as surprising at the actual reason was. Francis had visited his former colony to talk to him about this. Arthur didn't seem to care enough to stop him.

"Bonjour my little maple leaf~ How are you?"

"Bonjour Francis, I-I'm doing just fine. Come in eh."

The tall Frenchman walked in and sat himself at the sofa; of course he got to the point right away.

"So….Mexico's independent huh?"

"Yes, I can't believe it either. She used to be so….gentle and calm."

"Oui, but Mattie, have you seen her since 1800?"

"No."

"She's changed now. Quite the feisty girl if you ask me. Has a promising future as a French Territory you know."

"Really? I can't imagine her like that."

He deeply and sincerely hoped that she wasn't as fiery as Francis said. He could barely handle Alfred's nonsense, the last thing he needed was someone who got their independence before him to treat him like crap.

A few decades later, Francis told him that he successfully invaded Mexico. Matthew, again felt bad for her but didn't do anything to help either. It's not like she expected him to do anything anyways right? She didn't remember him right?

The next time he thought about her was around World War one. You'd think they'd talk to each other right? Wrong. It seemed like Teresa was acting coldly towards him, actually trying to avoid him perhaps. When they did get a chance to talk, Alfred usually got in the way and dragged one of them off. Teresa didn't seem to care for Matthew, even though he secretly hoped she did as much as he cared for her.

He was dragged onto the Allies side due to his connections with Arthur. His citizens didn't seem to mind though. During one meeting he finally got a word to Teresa, but he worried it came out wrong. His question was meant to be light, so he wouldn't come off as a stalker.

"S-So, you represent Mexico eh?" he asked the short girl who seemed to not be paying attention. Without looking up from her paper work she replied very monotone "Yes, I was hoping you'd know who I am Matthew. Especially since we share a continent."

Was she hurt by his comment? He didn't know she expected to have some former relationship with him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't forget though. I couldn't have forgotten anyways. It's just that we never talk."

"…Is this about the war? Did Alfred send you to try and convince me to join the Allies? I said I was neutral! Did you not hear my speech a few meetings ago?!" she asked very sternly and even frustratedly. Matthew winced at her loudness; yes he missed the quiet Teresa.

"Alfred didn't send me and yes I'm on the Allies. I was here t-to just ask about how you've been doing? The war has really messed some people up, and….I was worried about you. Maybe Alfred has been threatening you."

She turned to him and blinked in confusion.

"You-You don't care. No one cares." she muttered, no longer frustrated.

"Tere-"

"But since you asked, I'll say it isn't that bad. I've been selling a bunch of crude materials to both sides. You wouldn't believe how much Ludwig bought. Ivan is a good customer too. And about Alfred, it's nothing I can't handle myself."

He smiled and replied sweetly "I'm glad. Hopefully this war will end and we can get to know each other."

Teresa turned a light shade of red and huffed off. Now Matthew was nervous. Did he say something offending? Was he flirting with her? Did he make her uncomfortable? Did she hate him now?!

"Yo dude! Did you get some oil from Mexi too?" Alfred asked, throwing an arm around his brother.

"No Alfred, but I think she's mad at me."

"Pffff. Probably not. That bitch is as confusing as women get."

"That isn't nice-"

"It's fine it's fine. She calls me gringo anyways. Probably means something worse. Hey bro, maybe if you guys hook it up, then you'll form an alliance. Then you can convince her to like me too!"

"Alfred I don't think-"

"Good idea we can bargain with her and get tons of oil for a cheap price!"

"Alfred listen!"

The darker blonde stopped babbling about his neighbor long enough for Matthew to explain his discomfort. Alfred blew it off like nothing and dragged his brother to the nearest burger joint.

Before you knew it, World War Two rolled along and no one could've expected Japan to make such a bold move. His attack on Pearl Harbor seriously hurt Alfred. Matthew needed to make sure he was alright and being taken care of so he went to visit.

He knocked lightly on the front door of America's house. Who opened it surprised him.

"T-Teresa? What are you doing here?"

"I was making sure the puto was alright! Don't act like it's unusual!" she accused. After taking a suspicious look behind her, she grabbed his sleeve and pulled him in. She quickly ran upstairs and started to talk to someone.

"Alfred, your brother's here."

"Mattie?"

"You're one and only brother idiot. I'm leaving." she grumbled and stuffed her things into the tote bag she brought.

"But Teresa-"

"Don't but Teresa me gringo. Someone is here to take care of you and I'm leaving now. I have my own issues."

"But you'll join the Allies right?"

"I have to think-"

"He attacked me Teresa. He can do the same thing to you just as easily and you know what? Kiku probably doesn't care about you anyways. Might as well fight before you get hurt, again."

"….What?" she asked nervously. She would never admit her true fear of America. This was obviously a threat.

"I won't help you."

Teresa was pretty paranoid about being attacked too so this made her really jumpy. She got her usual nervous tick and bit her lip. "I'll think about it." she mumbled to him. She quickly grabbed her bag and started to speed walk back downstairs. Matthew needed to talk to her though. As she descended the steps he grabbed her wrist.

"Matthew…..Let go." she said sternly.

"Teresa, I don't mean to be so upfront but, we need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk abou-"

"Teresa…."

"Mattie, please. We can talk later."

That was always her excuse to leave a conversation with him. The fact that she called him Mattie got to him and he released her arm. Before she ran off she pulled him down to her height and whispered into his ear. "The bandages need to be changed every hour until the bleeding stops. I've done all I can but I can't comfort him like you do. He's asking too much from me. "

Matthew's jaw dropped as he watched her disappear around the corner. She was there to help Alfred. His rival/enemy/bully target, was so concerned about him that she showed up before his own brother?!

There must've been something about her he didn't know about. He took this as a challenge and decided he needed to get to know her more. She was on the same continent and they knew nothing about each other. His goal was to figure out how she works so they could come to an understanding even when Alfred interfered. Then maybe they would be something more than acquaintances or friends.

When Teresa breathed in the cold air outside she sighed. Didn't Matthew know how nervous he made her? The next time they met, she promised herself she would work up the courage to actually stay around him. Maybe then they could be friends without her nerves getting in the way. She always ruined it by saying something wrong.

Little did they know, both of them were extremely unsure of themselves when around each other.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: Don't expect this to be updated everyday but it will be updated regularly. It shouldn't be that long either. So here's the fluff, I guess. I always enjoy reading the reviews and I fixed the summary. I think it's better now, but this fanfic is fluffier than it is hot soooooo,...:3**_

Less than a month later, another Allies meeting was called to order in London. Matthew came about 30 minutes early and enjoyed some tea his former mother-country had prepared. Tea was one of his favorite things but it always needed maple syrup. Good thing he always carried a tiny travel bottle with him.

As the meeting started, Arthur seemed worried.

"Arthur! What's up with the nervous look aru?" asked Yao.

"The person this meeting is especially for isn't here yet."

"Maybe they got lost da?" Ivan pointed out.

The door to the meeting room flew open and the soaking wet Mexican walked in.

"Teresa, you're late." replied Arthur.

"No shit Sherlock. You didn't tell me it was going to be fucking raining!" she accused and slammed the door behind her.

"That's not very lady like. now that you are part of the Allies, we are your superiors."

"One, you think I give a fuck about being a lady? When it gets down to it, I have more balls than half of the world put together. Two, superiors in this group, but not anything else!"

"I'm older than you aru! That makes me natural superior!" Yao pointed out. Teresa shot him a look and asked "4 thousand years huh?"

"That's right!"

"I think 12 thousand is bigger Chino."

"Aiya! You're lying!"

"Excuse me kid? What did you just say? "

"Teresa!" shouted Arthur angrily.

She sighed and rubbed her temples then shivered. "It's cold. Would you happen to have a blanket or something lying around?"

"It's only 60 degrees."

"That's cold. And I'm wet. Look, sorry for being late and shouting I-"

He shoved some towels at her but said he didn't have blankets. She dried herself off but was still shaking.

"Hahaha! Teresa you're shaking like one of those rat dogs." said Alfred in between bites of his hamburger.

"Chihuahua!" she growled back with an unamused expression.

"Yeah that."he mumbled with his mouth full.

Before she started to curse at him, she calmed herself down and turned her attention to the man next to her.

"Here you can use my jacket. I'm used to the cold anyways." said Matthew. Very hesitantly Teresa took it and thanked him. He nodded and led her to the empty seat next to him.

"Now that that is over with, you all know that Mexico has joined the Allies." Arthur said from the head of the table. Ivan waved and got a small wave back from the short girl.

"So, Teresa you are to make diplomatic with the countries you don't already have with."

"Fine whatever."

"Teresa, I'm serious."

"I know damn it! I'm not some little kid you know! Just because I got my independence after this guy doesn't mean I'm immature!" she yelled and pointed to Alfred. He held his hands up and smiled "Chill Mexi, we know you're serious but you don't have to shout."

Her blood pressure was sky rocketing right now and you could tell. At least it warmed her up some. As the countries nagged her about the rules, contracts, agreements and trades she had to agree to. She agreed to all of them without arguing and signed her rushed signature on the final contract.

"Congratulations, you have officially joined the Allies." Arthur said somewhat happily.

"Okay Teresa! We need you to help us in military power aru!" Yao declared and slammed his hand on the table.

"Woah woah woah. I never-"

"Yeah guys. You have to ask me fiiiiiirst~" replied Alfred.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked begrudgingly.

"We need you to send some tactical air support to the Philippines main island. The Japanese Empire is already controlling it and we need to get them out." Yao answered respectfully this time.

"So go ahead Mexi. Ask for my permission." teased Alfred. He placed his chin in his hand and his elbow on the table. He leaned closer to her and smirked.

Teresa turned red and frowned. He kept smiling; he loved how she hated him so much.

"Alfred, it's part of your agreement too. You have to allow her to send troops." commented Matthew. The other's agreed with this and Teresa was relieved she didn't have to beg Alfred in front of the other countries.

After the meeting, Teresa was busy talking to Arthur. Matthew approached them and Arthur walked away, noticing him for once.

"Oh. Lo siento Matthew, here's your jacket. Thank you for letting me borrow it." she said with nearly no personality. He smiled and took the thick jacket from her. "Would you like to follow me back to North America?" he asked.

She looked up timidly. He hadn't seen that side of her for over 3 centuries, but it never lost its charm.

"Yes, I would really appreciate that." she replied nicely. Ivan walked outside and a cold breeze pass by. She shivered and Matthew gave her his jacket again.

As they walked to the airport, she held onto his strong arm. In his other hand, he was holding the black umbrella. Teresa insisted on paying for her own ticket. It was quite expensive up front and Matthew knew she wasn't very wealthy. He was surprised she was able to pay for it though. He regretted not pushing his offer further but he wasn't that type of person.

On the plane she quickly fell asleep against his arm. He took this time to study her soft features. Sure she had the face of a seventeen year old but she was several thousand. Some people, including Matthew, thought that was a good enough excuse for her getting upset so easily. She had the appearance of a four year old when conquered by Spain who declared himself her father.

Matthew couldn't tell if she was wearing makeup or not. She had thicker eye brows than most women, but nowhere near Arthur's eyebrows. At least she didn't fill them in with those strange colored pencils like they did in America sometimes. Her eyelashes were long and dark. Her nose and ears were small and cute. Thankfully, she made it through some of the toughest times of her life with no scars on her face.

He flinched when she stirred. Instead of waking up like he thought, she cuddled his arm. He held in a laugh and decided he should take a nap too. Matthew rested his head lightly on hers and fell asleep.

A few hours later the plane landed in Canada. Matthew woke up feeling groggy from his long nap. Turns out Teresa was a deep sleeper because she was still hugging his arm. Now she had a troubled look on her face.

"Teresa? Hey wake up." he whispered and wiggled his arm.

"Huh? Mattie?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah it's me. We're in Canada now swee-Er Teresa." he said. He didn't know why the word sweetie nearly slipped out. This bonding moment could've gone to waste if she took it the wrong way. She sat up and stretched her back. It cracked loudly and he winced.

"I'm sorry, did I hurt your arm?" she asked, feeling very rested. He shook his head and smiled. "It's just asleep." As he moved it around to get some circulation, Teresa sighed and apologized again. Matthew just kept smiling like an idiot.

"God your cute when you smile Teresa. You should do it more often." he wanted to say. Of course he didn't.

At the exit of the airport, they departed ways. Before they left Teresa gave him all of her contacts and who he should talk to for diplomatic services. When he tried giving her his information she stopped him.

"Just talk to these people. I'm going to be busy."

"With what?" he asked. He wanted to accuse her of avoiding him again for no reason. Frankly, he was getting upset.

"I'm going to fight in the Philippines. Don't you remember?"

"Oh, yeah. I just didn't know you were going to eh? Are you going to be the base of operations."

"Matthew, I'm actually going to fight, you know. I'm not letting my people do this alone. Screw gender inequality. I can fly a plane as well as any other man."

"That's not what I meant." he whispered.

"Oh…..Dios mio now I sound stupid for accusing you." she admitted. He let out a small laugh/sigh and replied "No, you're not stupid. You're very courageous and loyal to your people. You wouldn't leave them in a time of need."

For a second she looked down as if she was thinking about it. She looked back up at him and smiled sadly. "I wish I was always like that." Matthew wanted to hug and assure her everything was alright, but he wasn't sure. Would everything be okay? He wasn't sure who would come out hurt or not.

Teresa noticed him worrying about something and hugged him. Her arms were wrapped around his chest and she held him tightly, taking in his scent. Nature and sweet syrup. She didn't know Matthew was enjoying this embrace too. He loved how she smelled like home-made cooking and a warm fire.

She pulled away first and started walking south. She turned around and waved good bye to him. Matthew couldn't manage any words but waved back pathetically. He watched her until he lost her in the crowd of humans.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note: Well some background for people who don't know. The Non-Aligned movement was a group of countries who didn't take either side of the Cold War. Being an observer meant that they were even more detached. Guatemala and Belize are two smallish countries the share the southern border of Mexico with each other. In 1963, it was decided that Mexico would hold the 1968 Summer Olympics. It would be the first Spanish speaking country, and first Latin American country to host the events. At the time, Mexico's economy was at a low (again). The government suppressed the people's wages, rights, and freedom in general, so they could afford the Olympics. Taxes went up, and it made the times very hard on the new generation. The peaceful protests started with college students at a big university called UNAM. Only 10 days before the Olympics, this happened.**_

Sure there was plenty of Allies meetings after the war, but Teresa hadn't talked to Matthew since that day. The Cold War also divided the two. With Canada being dragged back to the side against communism and with Mexico stating she's an observer in the Non-Aligned Movement. Everyone hated this group, especially Alfred. He often bagged on her telling her she can't just stand by while the Soviet Union does this. Then she would explain to him how he wasn't the world's hero and he should just stay out of everyone's way.

1968, the year Teresa hosted the Olympics. Sure she never won very many medals, especially compared to Alfred. He always made a point to rub it in her face the day after the Olympics ended. Like every country, she was very patriotic during these times, but other than that she didn't look forward to it.

Something was off about her right after she realized she would be hosting the event in 1963. She kept in touch with a few countries and the Olympic officials, but no one saw her for those 5 years. Most countries would show off their new arenas and shout trivial information at the meetings held about it.

Matthew was worried about her and thought maybe she'd need to talk to someone so he called her a little more than a week before the events.

Teresa was multitasking, as usual, when the phone rang. She moaned tiredly and told her guests to wait a second.

The representatives of Guatemala and Belize were there for a quick personal visit and she was trying to cook for them. Leonardo, Belize, just nodded and remained quiet as he tilted the salt shaker side to side. Camila, Guatemala, pouted and slid back in her chair. She didn't really like Teresa but they were neighbors and Leonardo had dragged her along this time.

"Hola, this is Teresa Hidalgo, representative of Mexico." she recited when she picked up the phone. She had answered it like she has been since 1810, when Miguel Hidalgo taught her how.

"Bonjour Teresa."

"Oh Matthew, uhm…This isn't really a good time." she mumbled into the receiver. He heard a crash in the background and Teresa shout in Spanish at someone. He heard Camila shout back in the same language.

"I just wanted to see how you're doing…..If you need help."

"I….I'm fine."

"Is the population fine?"

"….No…Matthew, they're protesting! I don't know what to do they're just so angry with me! They don't want the Olympics! They want another revolution. I don't want to go through another revolution." she complained, seeming close to tears but he couldn't say for sure. He was surprised she opened up to him though.

"Would you mind if I came over tomorrow." he said, trying to ignore the clatter in the background.

"Alright." she whispered quietly. He said goodbye and hung up after getting his respectful response.

Teresa returned to the kitchen and wiped her eyes, making sure she wasn't crying.

"Are you crying?" asked Camila rudely.

"Shut up and sit down." Teresa hissed back and pointed to the wooden chair she should be at. Camila stuck her tongue out but sat down. She started to chatter on about how she was going to win a bunch of medals at the Olympics. Leonardo sighed and started to play with the pepper shaker. He had the appearance of a 13 year old while Camila looked around 16. Teresa remembered when she used to represent their land but never talked about it because it made them angry.

She went on to cook dinner feeling numb inside.

The next day, Teresa moved like a ghost, quietly and disconnected. When Matthew knocked on her door, she nearly jumped out of her skin because the house was quiet all day.

She opened the front door to let him in and he smiled brightly.

"Lo siento Matthew, I've just been out of it lately. All I think about is my economy and the Olympics. How's your team?"

"Eh, they're doing well. How are you? You must not feel at 100% with all of this going on.'

"I've been better yes but I'm glad you're here. Please come in." she said and held it open for him. He walked in and laughed a little bit.

"What?" she asked confusedly.

"You're house is small compared to most other countries."

"I-I…I don't need a big house. I raised Central America in a house a little bigger than this." she commented, hiding any offense taken.

They talked about the Olympics some before Matthew suggested they take a walk. He noticed she was jittery. Her hands were shaking and she kept biting her lip. They both stepped outside and the tense mood was lifted.

It was past noon and frankly, very hot. Matthew shifted a bit; he had worn a long sleeve shirt and jeans. Teresa left his side for a moment and came back holding a t-shirt about his size.

"Here change into this." she handed him the t-shirt with the letters UNAM. It was an important university in Mexico. When he started to unbutton his shirt Teresa turned slightly red and covered her eyes with her hands. Matthew chuckled and slipped his shirt off.

She couldn't help herself and took a peek from behind her fingers. It was difficult for her to keep in a laugh when she saw his tan lines. They were more prominent than Alfred's. Yeah she's seen him shirtless too. But the impressive thing was that Matthew was leaner yet more toned than Alfred.

When he put on the t-shirt, she smiled and clapped her hands together.

"Perfect fit no?"

"Yeah, why do you have men clothes though?"

"You wouldn't believe how often the others come over and get food all over themselves. You'd think they know how to eat a damn burrito without it opening up."

Matthew just smiled and nodded, he didn't really know how to respond. Both of them walked down to the sidewalk and walked at a medium pace. Teresa kept her shaky hands behind her back and kept her eyes on the sidewalk nervously. He noticed this and took it as a chance to start something.

"Do you grow maple trees here?"

"No, I sincerely haven't seen one. Why do you ask?"

"If you boil the sap, it makes maple syrup."

"Never had any."

"Eh?! Are you serious?!"

"What! Is there something wrong with that?" she asked distressedly. He smiled and shook his head. "No it's just that I eat it just about every day.

Teresa smiled at his pronunciation of about, he said it "aboot". Alfred often complained about her accent but it never bothered her. She could imitate his perfectly, which she did when mocking him.

Matthew noticed her small smile and started to start a chat about nature. He was surprised when she understood the Latin names for the species he talked about. She lost track of where they were going but didn't necessarily get lost.

When she heard the chanting she grabbed the inside of Matthew's elbow.

"What is it?" he asked cluelessly.

"We should go back home."

"Because of the chanting? I think we should go check it out."

"But-"

"If you don't face the problem it'll just get worse."

She sighed in defeat and admitted "I guess you're right."

They followed the chanting to a plaza where thousands of people were crowding. The noise was so great that Matthew had to cover his ears. Teresa was used to it. Try listening to blaring trumpets in several mariachis for a few decades.

"Maybe you were right." he mumbled nervously. His people rarely protested like this.

Teresa was filled with some new determination and said "No way. This is getting out of control." Leaving Matthew behind, she marched straight up to a young man and tapped his shoulder. He turned around angrily and asked her something in Spanish. When Matthew caught up to her he was confused on why she seemed upset. He didn't understand Spanish and that was everyone was screaming in.

"What'd he say?" he asked when Teresa walked back to him.

"He's just some college kid. They're protesting the Olympics, again. They can't stop it now though, It's in ten days." she replied. Suddenly they felt the ground under them rumbling. Matthew looked up and his eyes widened. He pointed behind her and she turned around. A few tankettes were making their way down the street, barely avoiding the protesters.

Several people started screaming as several soldiers and army men marched in formation down the street. Instead of being armed with clubs like regular police men, they had rifles plus a handgun on their belts. Their helmets had plastic shields in front of them to protect their faces from surprise attacks. Being blinded in this type of situation was fatal.

"T-Teresa? What's going on?" asked Matthew with a shaky voice.

"I-I don't know." she whispered fearfully. She made eye contact with a soldier and she could feel the violent intent coming from his aura. Courageously, she strode towards him and stood very close. Alfred would describe it as "being all up in his face". The man leaned back a little and talked calmly in Spanish. He didn't flinch when Teresa yelled back at him. He took this as a threat and shouted back at her. Matthew just couldn't let this happen right?

When the soldier was finally fed up with yelling at the girl he raised his club. Matthew reached out to Teresa and yelled her name, trying to warn her. It was too late and the man powerfully swung the club into her skull. She faltered to the side but didn't lose her balance too much. The club was solid wood and the man seemed pretty strong, he was surprised she was still standing.

Matthew shortened the distance between them and held her shoulders. He framed her chin with his fingers and tilted her head up. She barely seemed affected at all as the red liquid ran down to her shoulder.

"How dare you hit a girl!" he screamed at the soldier. He frowned and glanced at Matthews t-shirt. His scowl deepened and he read the letters. To him, the nation seemed like some other college student.

He held his club and smacked it in his other palm. In a very heavy accent he said "You're under arrest."

"Eh?! For what!?" he asked shocked. Even Teresa turned around the face the man again.

The soldier took a step forward and unsheathed his hand gun. "If you don't come peacefully, I'll shoot."

"You're crazy!" he yelled back. As the soldier raised his gun, Teresa acted fast and knocked it out of his hand. He shouted something in Spanish and reached for the rifle swung over his shoulder. Within a second she disarmed him again and held the rifle to him.

"I know you understand me, so don't play stupid. I don't want you to touch another protester with a harmful hand you got that?" she said threateningly. He frantically nodded.

She sighed and took a look at the top of a building. Her eyes widened at the men who were hiding up there.

Snipers.

All of the sudden shots started being fired into the crowd and people ran everywhere panicking. What started off as a peaceful protest from university and high school students, turned into a massacre.

Teresa ran back to Matthew and ordered him "Go back to my house and lock the doors and the windows. Don't let anyone in even if they say they're the law enforcement."

"What about you? I can't leave you here."

She glanced at the rifle in her hand then at the busted handgun on the floor.

"I'll be fine. This is my problem." she whispered sadly. He barely heard her over the screams but nodded. She let out a small laugh and gave him a peck on the cheek. He turned red and she smiled sincerely.

"I'll be fine, go home." she said and ran a small hand down his cheek. As she ran into the crowd, he ran the opposite way.


	4. Chapter 4

Matthew eventually figured out how the T.V in the living room worked a few minutes after he locked the doors and windows. He flickered through channels until he found one that was broadcasting the news. Unfortunately, they only spoke in rushed Spanish. His eye's searched the screen when they showed a video of the scene. He was looking for the bright green-blue dress Teresa had been wearing.

For a few hours he didn't know what to do. Surely Teresa didn't want him to snoop around the house. Even though he realized this he looked around anyway. There were a few picture frames scattered about the house. It didn't really have much space for decoration anyways. They were all of humans. Except for a few that were of the Latin American countries.

Teresa was standing next to Gabriel, who represented Brazil. He always thought they were a couple because they backed each other up so much. Even the leaders of the countries were friends most of the time. In fact, there were plenty of people that Teresa probably would rather want to be in a relationship with. Lovino, even though he was irritated most of the time, she put up with it like no other nation. Except for Antonio though. Even Ivan could be a possibility; he always called her his "little sunflower", because she gave him the seeds. Maybe he didn't have a chance with her after all.

While he pondered the possibilities, he noticed it had been several hours since he had left her. He sat back down on the couch and watched the news again. Within seconds he heard the front door being unlocked. When it clicked, he flinched, afraid something was going to jump out and attack. It was just Teresa. Her shoulder still covered in blood but her eyes weren't filled with that familiar fire anymore.

Before he realized how he felt, he ran to her and hugged her. She just stood there for a second before closing the door with her foot. Matthew took a step back and leaned bent down to her height.

"Teresa, I'm sorry I couldn't do anything. Are you alright?" he asked and held onto her thin shoulders. She nodded and shrugged his hands off. He could only watch in shock as she walked to the back of the house dragging the empty rifle behind her. He followed her down the hall blindly doubting that she was alright. Then he noticed round bullet wound in her right forearm. After she placed the rifle in a gun safe he grabbed her arm and held it up.

"You aren't okay! Why didn't you say anything?" he asked very concernedly. She just shrugged and let him lead her back to the table. He sat her down on the couch and went to search for her medical supplies. While he searched a closet, he was wondering what was going through her mind. This had to be pretty bad. College kids were attacked! Maybe even killed as far as he knew. Then he remembered the last time she acted like this. For the first decade of her independence war she was this disturbed.

He walked back into the living room and placed the bandages on the coffee table. When he ran his hand around her arm he was relieved when the other side had the exit wound. Surgery and a lot of blood in general made him squeamish. While cleaning the wound he noticed that she wasn't even paying attention to him.

"Who shot you?" he asked.

"One of the army men." she whispered back. Her eyes were focused on the T.V. It probably wasn't good for her to be watching the news now.

"I'm sure it was-"

"It was on purpose. He probably thought I was some high school kid protesting and when I was holding that rifle…" she trailed off and kept her eyes on the screen. He reached for the remote and suggested "Maybe we should-"

"Don't." she abruptly said and grabbed his hand. Her hand was cold and he pulled away quickly. He kept in his sigh as he wrapped her forearm in bandages.

"No." she whispered to no one in general. Matthew looked up to the television and furrowed his eyebrows. He never wanted to learn Spanish more than ever now. Just so he could connect with her.

The anchorman on the screen straightened out the papers on the desk and looked to the camera with a grim expression. He seemed to be very sad when he started giving announcements. A heading popped up on the screen and a video from the day's events started to role. It was very shaky and bad quality but still acceptable. When the shots went off, he jumped a bit. He would've stood up if Teresa wasn't clutching onto his hand so tightly.

"What is it?" he asked sheepishly, afraid to anger her.

"The death toll…The kids…" she said in a hushed and shaky voice.

"I-I'm sure it's okay eh?"

"Forty four…"

Before he was able to respond he noticed the tears fall from her face and land on her lap.

"Teresa…Teresa it'll be okay." he said firmly. He didn't know what he was getting himself into but, he was the only one there. Surely one of the Latin American countries would've known a better way than his lousy pep talk but they weren't here either.

Suddenly, she turned to him with her red face and her bloodshot eyes. She looked like she was about to scream at him but instead broke down into tears. Matthew's mouth opened to say something but couldn't think of anything worthwhile so he just held her. She cried onto his shoulder and gripped it in her small hands.

She was a lot lighter than expected. She also wasn't the type to be so open about something like this, especially to someone who was just over for a visit.

As the T.V rolled videos of the young men and women getting arrested, she cried into his shirt for a good half hour before calming down again. Matthew patted her hair and asked "Will you be alright until the Olympics?"

"I'm fine." she mumbled nearly inaudible. He knew this was an obvious lie but just agreed with her.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's Note: The Spanish charm always works on Mexico...ALWAYS...:3 And I don't mean for any of Alfred's insults about Mexico to be insulting to Mexicans.**_

After the Olympics opening ceremony, several countries went to praise Teresa for her work.

"I heard about what happened." whispered Lovino as he blushed. Teresa smiled and replied "Aw Lovi~ You're so sweet." Of course she was being sarcastic and before he could protest Antonio launched himself at her and took her in a big hug. "Mi tesoro~ I heard you were sad so I came to cheer you up!" he shouted as he cuddled her. Her smirk faded and she just stood there, stiff as he tried to get her to hug back. "I'm not interested." she mumbled. Antonio took a step back and clapped his hands together before spreading them and chanting "Fusosososososo~" Both Lovino and she smiled against their will.

Matthew watched the happy family moment from a distance. Teresa finally took her attention away from Antonio and looked him in the eyes. She smiled and started to walked towards the Canadian. Antonio grabbed her arm and held it close as he whined "Where are you going! We should go get a drink and-"

"Get off puto!" she yelled and pushed his face away. Eventually he let her go and she ran to Matthew.

"That was an impressive ceremony." he said awkwardly. She smiled sweetly and replied "I suppose so huh? Anyways, what do you think about the Olympics being over 7 thousand feet in the air!?"

"That's pretty cool. Since when do you measure in the imperial system."

She blinked once then suddenly cursed "like a sailor". That's how Arthur put it anyways.

"Over 2 thousand meters! That's what I meant! It's Alfred's fault!" she argued even though he had no rebuttal. He couldn't believe she was actually worrying over something as simple as this.

"Okay! I believe you."

"Anyways." she started and entwined her fingers in his. "I just wanted to thank you for being there for me the other day." It wasn't often countries got to use the phrase "the other day". Everything took so long and sometimes nations were separated for so long it took them years to thank each other or apologize.

Matthew turned red but managed a smile as his heart fluttered. This time her hand wasn't cold a needy, it was warm and friendly. He took a second to realize how close they were and decide this would be a good time. He tilted his head down towards her and she quickly realized what he wanted.

Before their lips touched, Alfred yanked Matthew's arm and shouted "C'mon bro! I know how much you like hockey but this is no time to play tonsil hockey! Let's party. Oh yeah, and the wetback can come too!" As he dragged off his brother, he laughed at Teresa who was flipping him off and shouting curses again. No matter how innocent she looked, Matthew was sure she could out-swear Lovino in a heartbeat.

More years pass and eventually it was 1999. Almost every country was fretting about the world ending on new years of 2000. Matthew hadn't talked to Teresa personally for a great while. If he wasn't so modest he would've marched right up to her door step and dragged her out so she could have a good time.

As per usual, Alfred gave a long speech about something irrelevant at the World Meeting. It was held in Austria, so Roderich would've been the meeting's host. Seems like he couldn't stop his guests from getting out of line, he required Ludwig's help for that. As the angry German man shouted at Alfred to shut up, everyone in the room agreed.

Alfred pouted but took his seat again.

"Can you believe these Euro-Jerks Matthew?" he asked to one of the nation's he was sitting next to. Matthew was snapped out of his day dreaming and replied "Well, Al you were going on about-"

"Pfff. I knew you'd agree with them." he interrupted and looked to the other person he had been forced to sit next to. Everyone was seated by their locations, so of course his neighbor was the fiery girl next door. The one he said brought tons of cocaine and guns into his country.

"What d'ya think Mexi?" he asked Teresa. She was already frowning but now she grimaced. "For once I agree with the Europeans." Alfred tried to start an argument as Matthew looked on. He felt bad for Teresa. Alfred always picked on her and whenever she was around him, she seemed to become weaker. Might've just been a coincidence but Matthew knew Alfred probably wouldn't stop until he sucked the life out of her. Metaphorically or not, it still didn't benefit her.

"Alfred, maybe you should focus on the meeting and not arguing with Teresa for once."

The American turned to him like he wanted to start another argument but stopped himself. Teresa deserved it but not his little brother.

"You should take his advice more often puto." said Teresa as she felt like she won the argument. For the rest of the meeting Matthew could feel the tension between his southern neighbors but decided to stay out of it.

At the end of the meeting, Matthew approached Teresa unexpectedly and tapped on her shoulder. She tensed up and spun around with a very unamused expression.

"Eh, I'm sorry Teresa, I didn't mean to scare you."

"I-I wasn't scared!"

"Okay. I just wanted to know if you'd like to uhm…."

"Mattie, would you like to visit me?" she asked, seeming just as nervous as him.

"Eh?! R-Really. I would love to!"

She smiled softly and replied "Bien! How does the thirty first sound to you?"

"Doesn't Alfred have his Halloween party that day?"

"He has one every year Matthew. I'm not invited nearly half of the time. I'm sure you haven't been invited a few times too."

He sadly nodded and said "I guess that'll do. Should I bring anything?"

"Hmm. No I don't think so. I'll do the translating and such." she replied thoughtfully. Everyone knew she was a bit forgetful, so Matthew would have to guess himself.

A few days later, Alfred wasn't so surprised when Teresa called him.

"Hey Mexi, sup?"

"What kind of food does your brother like?"

"Huh. Why do you care? Going on a daaaaate~"

"N-No! Look if you won't answer I'll just-"

"What ask Francis?"

"…I will never do that. And you know that gringo!"

"Chill girl. Okay I'll help you hook it up with my brother."

"Alfred!"

"You're loud. Okay he hates anything spicy. Even if it's mild."

"And-"

"Mild as in my mild, not yours."

"…Fine. What else?"

"Hmmm. He likes sweet things. Not candy sweet, but cake without frosting sweet. And bread stuff. He's like a carb loader. I don't know what he does to not get fat. Maybe you should ask him."

"Are you calling me fat?!"

"Maybe~"

"Fuck you!"

"You're welcome." he happily said and hung up on her. For the next week, she was trying to make sure her kitchen was loaded with food Matthew was familiar with. The one thing she couldn't find was real maple syrup. Everything was artificial with high fructose corn syrup. Normally she wouldn't have minded but this was a guest she was thinking about.


	6. Chapter 6

On the thirty first of the month, Teresa made sure to get up earlier than usual. She usually woke up at 7 but today she woke up before the sun peeked over the horizon. Her house was clean, the guest bedroom neatly arranged, and the kitchen was no longer cluttered.

She drove to the airport in one of her prized possessions, a Fiat. Her country made quite a few of them but it was difficult to get her hands on one because they were usually shipped to America or across the seas. As she stepped out of the car, she straightened her dress and walked in. She found that his flight was arriving in a few minutes and found a seat near the gate he was expected to come through. Would he think it was weird she greeted him right away? Would that be considered odd? What would he think of her country? Would he think they were poor and useless like Alfred thought? Worst of all she thought about what Alfred might've told him about her.

Matthew enjoyed his plane ride and was even happier when the plane landed. As he waited for his luggage to come around on the conveyor belt, he felt someone grab on his sleeve. He turned to it was Teresa.

"How was your flight?" she asked.

"Very nice, thank you." he said and grabbed the large red and white suitcase from the belt. As they walked out Teresa started to warn him about things.

"If you have anything valuable, you best leave it at my house closed up in your suitcase. And there are too many kidnappings here so if you see anyone suspicious, tell me. Even if a police officer talks to you for no reason, he could be some puto in disguise to get you. My people are great at that, almost like Lovino's mafia. I'm not proud of it."

"It's not your fault though."

"I guess you're right. Anyways, I'm pretty sure they're good at stalking to. In fact they probably already know you're visiting."

"That's….kinda creepy."

"I'm sorry." she uttered realizing she wasn't very good at conversing after all.

"It's alright eh."

Teresa smiled and led him to her parked car. Alfred said she always drove around in an old pickup truck, but this car looked awesome. Nearly as good as some of the ones Feliciano had. She closed his suitcase in the back then hopped into the driver's side.

Matthew fastened his seatbelt as Teresa started the car.

"Don't worry, I don't drive as idiotically as Lovi or Feli." she said adjusting the mirrors. He nodded nervously, for some reason he didn't believe that. She was pretty close to Lovino, and he was nearly sure either him or Alfred taught her how to drive.

Within the first 5 minutes they got stuck in traffic. Matthew noticed Teresa clutching onto the steering wheel tightly.

"Uh, Teresa. I think you'll break the steering wheel if you squeeze it too hard." he whispered. She sighed and wiggled her fingers, keeping her hands on the wheel.

"Lo siento Matthew. I hate traffic, which is usually why I just use my motorcycle to avoid most of it." she said happily. His jaw dropped. A short, delicate looking girl like her, drove through crowded traffic on a motorcycle? He quickly realized this was plausible; she was much tougher than she looked.

As they pulled into the drive way of her house, Matthew smiled. Despite the heavy traffic, it was a nice car ride. It took them about an hour to drive less than 20 miles, but he didn't mind.

"Lo siento Matthew, the traffic here is terrible." she said like she had disappointed him. He noticed her tone and nervously laughed

Teresa smiled and got out of the car. Matthew also got out and found that she was already taking out the luggage from the back. He was supposed to stay a few days; he told his boss it was a personal vacation.

"Do you want me to get that?" he asked shyly, pointing to the bag. She smiled again, this time a bit too forced and replied "No no. You're the guest, I got it."

She led Matthew into her large house, it was similar to Antonio's except had her own Mexican vibe to it. Antonio actually had a mansion he lived in since the Reconquista. Teresa's house was nowhere near mansion sized, but it was just as nice.

It was very unusual for nations to have pictures in their house. Most of them were kept in thick albums or in dusty boxes in their attic. As for this house, the walls were lined with perfectly placed frames.

Teresa kept walking down the hall but Matthew stopped to look at some pictures. Most of them were of average humans, some of them of them were of scenery. Almost none of the frames matched but it didn't take away from the beauty of some of the pictures. You couldn't tell form what time period each was from. Black and white was mixed with colored pictures of all qualities.

"That one is of Pancho Villa." she said from behind Matthew. He jumped a little and turned around.

"I thought you were-"

"Well I'm here now huh? That picture is of some college kids Acapulco diving. It may look pretty there, but I advise not going there without me."

"Why?"

"Lots of murders, death rate is terribly high." she said matter of factly. He was a bit stunned about how open she was about her country's dangers, but no country was perfect.

"What's this one?" he asked a pointed at a picture of a stone building.

"Hmm? Oh that's a Mayan temple, but that's how it looked over 50 years ago, that's why the picture is in black and white. I've been there quite a few times since then though. I can say it isn't getting any better." she answered and shook her head in disappointment. This made Matthew think a little. What were his natives like? Then he realized how old she was, he wanted to ask, but knew it was indecent.

"That's impressive." he said unsurely. She sighed and straightened her back. "Let me show you to your room. It's just down the hall from mine so if you need anything just knock." she mumbled and walked back down the hall. She held the door open for him as he stepped in.

The room wasn't that small and it was beautiful. Just like the rest of the house, there was some form of art in this room. A couple paintings hung on a one wall.

"Did you paint that?" Matthew asked and pointed to the large painting of a man carrying a large basket of flowers on his back while a woman seemed to be trying to help him. Teresa held in a laughed and replied "I wish, but no. Diego Rivera was a wonderful artist. His paintings are all over my house, but they're just replicas. I might have an actual picture of him somewhere though."

She left him to himself, and walked out of the room as he unpacked. He hung up some of his shirts in the closet and put some socks in the dresser. As he finished, he decided to explore the room. He was used to having a television in the room when he stayed with Alfred, but it wasn't inconvenient. He opened the thin curtains and gasped at the sight. It wasn't the pointing to the front of the house, but instead to the side.

The side of Teresa's house was filled with dozens of plants of all different types. Somehow the roses matched with the cacti. It must've taken some professionals a few weeks to do all of this. He never liked gardening very much, but if he could learn how to do something like this, he'd join that class in a heartbeat.

When he walked out of his room, he suddenly felt very intimidated again. The house wasn't big enough to get lost in, but he needed her help. He decided to walk down the hall to her room like she said to.

"T-Teresa?" he nervously asked as he knocked on the door.

"Sí?"

"A-Are you doing anything for Halloween today?"

"Not really. No one trick or treats around here anyways. I have something much more fun planned though." she said with a mischievous smile. It was that kind of smile that made him a little nervous, in a good way though. It was nice to be around someone spontaneous, but not too random like Alfred.

"Hey Mattie, let's take a tour okay?" she suggested. He agreed and turned a light pink when she grabbed his wrist and dragged him out of the hall. He silently wished she would grab his hand instead.

"This is the living room." she said and spread her arms. The room seemed cozy and had a fire place. It seemed to be rarely used but not dusty. Nothing in here was dusty. A large picture of a woman holding her hands in a praying fashion was in the room. He saw a few pictures very similar to that one. Before he could ask a question, Teresa answered it.

"That's Our Lady of Guadalupe . Have you heard of her?"

"Ah…..Sorry but no."

"Well…..basically Virgin Mary. You've heard of her right?" she asked a little more concerned. He nodded which made her smile. Alfred always said Teresa was very religious but he never believed it. Then he realized how religious Antonio and Lovino were too, so it must've been this way for the last few centuries.

"And this is the dining room." she gestured to another room.

There was a simple center piece and the walls were oddly empty. The table was dark and seemed to be used very often. It looked like one of the oldest things in the house. He just nodded and was led to the kitchen. He was amazed by how organized, yet disorganized it was. There were tons of shelves that probably held spices and other such ingredients. There were a couple fruit baskets laid along the counter that wrapped around the room. Some of the bananas had black spots but were still edible. There were several other fruits but what caught his eye was the awkward bowl of jalapeños totally not blending in with the bowls of fruit.

"Uhm, why do you have those there?" he asked.

"Oh, I just like to snack on them as I walk around the house." she commented, very oblivious to how odd it was. "You can have one if you want. It'd probably be too spicy for you though."

Matthew huffed and took one. He could do this, to show her he wasn't a wimp like she probably thought he was. He only bit the end of it and it burnt his tongue. He winced and regretted his decision to prove himself to her.

She laughed whole heartedly at him and held her hand out. He laughed back and handed it to her. His jaw dropped when she popped it into her mouth and went on to showing him around. She swallowed the small pepper and told him "Out this door is the backyard. I don't really know how to give you a proper tour of this so look around and ask me anything."

"Thank you." he said and instantly managed to find his way to that side part of the yard with the cacti. He looked around and sat down on the tiny stone bench that was artistically placed between a couple saplings. He looked to his side and saw that there were words on it. It said "En memoria cariñosa de Juan García. Nacido 17a agosto 1802 - Murió 29 de marzo 18(?).No es simplemente otro hombre."

The last two numbers of what seemed to be the death date were blocked by an overgrown rose from the nearby bush. It had thorns so he didn't want to move it. He would ask Teresa about it later.

After taking in the flora, he sighed and stood up. He should find Teresa now. Matthew slowly made his way back to the porch. He was surprised Teresa wasn't there; instead she was standing out in the sun holding a string. He wasn't sure what it was attached to but it seemed to be flying around.

"Oh hey Matthew. Do you want a turn?" she asked holding out the string that was being pulled on. Apparently she tied it to some weird beetle that jerked around in the air.

"How'd you get the string on it?" he asked and took it from her hand gently.

"I grabbed it out of the air and tied it on."

He shuddered at the thought of touching such a weird looking bug. He rather pet a deer or take a picture of a majestic moose than touch such an awkward insect. Matthew couldn't help but laugh as the bug flew around in circles. He couldn't imagine Teresa being the childish type, but he was wrong about a bunch of other things about her too.

Since he was busy thinking about how weird this whole situation was, he lost his grasp on the string. The bug twitched and struggled to fly away.

"Aw, that's the second one this week."

"I'm sorry." whispered Matthew.

"No problem amigo. There are plenty around here. In fact there's another insect I want to show you, but you have to be quiet about it."

"Okay."

They snuck around and behind a bush where she shushed him. He found this very comical because it reminded him of some Dora the Explorer episode.

"Look."

"What a butterfly? Aren't they supposed to be migrating?"

"This is where they go when it gets too cold at your place, tonto. Over 100 million come around November. Isn't it beautiful?"

"Yeah, reminds me of something else around here." he said, trying to flirt subtly. Apparently it was too subtle or Teresa inherited some of Antonio's obliviousness because she asked "Hmm? And what's that? Is it the roses on the other side? Those are nice too." He caught himself before he sighed and just nodded.

"I actually have a question about over there. One, who did you get to make it? Two, what kind of professional did you get advice from? Three, there was a bench there, what for?"

Teresa's smile faded and she blinked. He instantly felt intimidated again, was she going to yell at him for asking? She looked down and grabbed his wrist. She kept her head down as she brought him back to the side he was talking about.

Matthew didn't notice before but there were a couple simple swings hanging on the largest branch of a mature tree. It was the perfect place to see the whole scenery as a whole. He sat down on a swing carefully, making sure not to break it. Teresa sat next to him and started to swing gently with the light breeze.

"I made it myself. I had some help from Jason, Kiku, Ivan and Ludwig though."

"Jason as in Molossia?"

"Yeah, he's really cute isn't he?" she said a bit happily. The Jason he knew wasn't cute at all. Every time they talked, Jason thought he was Alfred and started to curse at him. He didn't know that Teresa was one of the few who knew his mild mannered side. It was because his micronation was in the land she used to own. Alfred always complained about her coming to his country without asking, so this was explainable.

"I didn't get advice from anyone really." she went on "Ivan brought me some of the sunflowers from his place. I mean, they come from Mexico originally but he made some different species or something."

"I didn't know Ludwig was into gardening."

"Ah, damn it."

He jumped at her sudden curse.

"Eh?"

"I promised not to tell anyone. Oh well. He only helped me take measurements and lift the really heavy stuff."

"And the bench?"

"I made it myself, all by myself. I didn't let anyone else touch it until I was done."

"Is Juan Garcia a human?"

"Yeah, he was a good kid. I loved him so much."

"I didn't know you could get so attached to a human."

"He wasn't just another man though. Me and him had some adventures, I'm surprised that he lived until-"

She was interrupted by a sudden, familiar growl. Matthew turned red.

"It's time for lunch anyway." she said and stood up. She patted the leaves off of her dress and smiled, before she turned to walk away, Matthew grabbed her wrist. Even he didn't expect himself to do that.

"Mattie?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For making you uncomfortable by asking about Juan."

She forced a small chuckle and said "Thank you for apologizing but if I show his name so outright, you have the right to ask questions. I did tell you I'd answer them anyways. Do you want Tourtière or Rappie pie?"

"You know how to make Rappie Pie?!"

"I guess that's what you want, huh?"

A few minutes later he was standing awkwardly in the kitchen, watching her grate potatoes for the meal. He offered to help but got back the usual response "No, you're the guest so enjoy yourself."

While she was cooking she stopped and lifted herself onto the counter. Matthew held in a laugh as he realized that she couldn't reach the materials on the very top shelves

"What are you doing?" he asked a bit concerned.

Teresa pursed her lips and said "Getting cheese cloth so I can press the potatoes thought them. What is that wrong?"

"N-No, just that a lot of people don't make it that way anymore. It's the traditional way."

A while later, dinner was finished and set on the dining table. Matthew wasn't there so she went to look for him.

"Mattie! Dinner is done!" she shouted with her hands cupped around her mouth. When she didn't get a response she sighed and went to the back yard. She looked for him at the side of the house he seemed so interested in. When she didn't find him there, she looked for him where the butterflies like to land but he wasn't there either.

She growled under her breath and walked into the grass. Surely he couldn't have gone far right? Well turns out he found the hammock that was stretched out under a couple of large avocado trees. Teresa smiled when she found him though.

"Damn gringo, why do ya have to be so cute when asleep." she whispered and leaned against the tree trunk. After studying his smooth features she got an idea.

A few minutes later she came back with the plates served with the rich pie. It wasn't like the pie she was used to making but hopefully Matthew would like this. If he worked anything like Alfred or any other man in general, he would wake up when he smelt the freshly prepared food.

Within a minute of her standing there he rubbed his eyes and stretched.

"Oh my god. I'm sorry-" he started.

"No no it's okay. Eating dinner outside is really nice too. Especially when the sun is going down like this. I love the oranges and they yellows, don't you?" she asked very happily, ignoring his apology.

"Yeah. I like the purple ones too." he said and thanked her when handed the plate. He took one bite and shuddered. It tasted just like how this human made it. He had also gotten somewhat attached to a few Canadian families, but eventually lost track of them during wars. The old lady who made Rappie Pie like this was long gone but this brought his memory of her back.

"Wow, this is really good!" he said and took another forkful.

"I'm glad." she replied and sat next to him on the hammock. She took a bite of the food on her plate and suddenly turned her head to the right, away from Matthew.

"What is it?" he asked and craned his neck to see. Teresa could see most spirits and other such things, and right now Death was waving at her. He was just standing there, being so…..weird. She was thankful that Matthew didn't have Arthur's sight also.

"Nothing, just saw a shadow move." she said and went back to the food on her plate.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Mexi! Mexi! Mexi! Guess what tomorrow is! Guess! I said guess bastard! Are you listening to me?!" he shouted and waved his arms at his sides. His black cloak covered his hands and the hood of it hid his hair. Only his bright red eyes stood out.

It took him a while to figure out she was ignoring him for Matthew's sake. He quickly remembered he was the representative for Canada.

"Mexi! Are you on a date with the maple sucker?!" he asked then snickered. The question startled her and her shoulders jumped in surprise.

"Are you alright?" he asked when she accidently flicked a piece of food onto the ground. She nodded and stood up. Matthew was done with his plate, and frankly, she didn't want any more of this. Anglo-American food was strange to her.

"I'm fine. Let's go inside for dessert." she said with a fake smile. Matthew knew a lot about people smiling, so he instantly saw through her charade. "Why do you keep smiling?" he asked out of the blue.

"Huh? Am I? H-Haven't noticed-"

"You've noticed."

"Lo siento Matthew. Just that…"

"Is it because I remind you of Alfred or Francis?"

"No! Not at all. Y-You're muy lindo! Alfred and Francis are just the putos who took advantage of me." she said in a begging tone.

After a couple minutes they both went back inside. She led him to the living room and sat on the couch. She patted the space next to him and asked him to sit with her. The television flickered to life and it took her less than a minute to find an channel in English. It happened to be BBC.

"I didn't know you got this channel." Matthew said.

"I get really good service."

"I guess so." she mumbled.

Matthew suddenly regretted mentioning that. It was a total mood and conversation killer. Before he could fix the situation Teresa patched it up right quick.

"Do you want some ice cream?" she asked and straightened her position. He smiled and replied "Sure that would be nice."

She stood up and straightened out the skirt of her dress before walking out. As she was she shouted "You can change the channel if you want." He picked up the remote and started to surf the channels. The screen flickered as the stations changed. Most of it was in Spanish so he gave up searching for an English or French channel. He ended up leaving it on a ice hockey match that was thankfully being broadcasted from his country so he could understand the accented English.

"I hope you like rocky road because that's all I have." Teresa said as she handed him a bowl. He didn't even notice her when she walked in. He thanked her and took the bowl from her. She sat next to him and intently watched the television.

"Why do you love hockey so much?" she asked, curling up on the couch.

"What's not to love about it eh? They're so violent and strong. They don't let anyone push them around and they fight back. Plus the ice skates show how they have to be manly yet balanced!" he said very enthusuastically.

She thought about that observation before finally replying "Well when you put it that way I guess it's pretty cool. Do you play it?"

"Of course. I thought Alfred, Arthur and Francis how to play it. It's one of the only sports that I'm better at when compared to Al. Maybe I could teach you one day."

"I'd have to learn how to ice skate first." she said with a sigh.

Matthew smiled and said " That's easy. If I can teach Alfred then I can teach you- Oh! Did you see that!" He was pointing at the screen at the spot where the purple team just made a goal in the blue goal. She smiled, it was nice to see a guest enjoying themselves.

Later that night Teresa knocked on his door to make sure he was comfortable.

"Mattie?" she asked quietly.

"Hmm?" he responded and opened the door.

"Do you need any help? Extra blankets or-"

"Actually yes. Can you grab the pajamas from my suitcase while I hang up my shirts?"

Teresa walked in and to the luggage on his bed. His back was to her and he was hanging up a couple of t-shirts he had. When she unzipped the bag something white and fuzzy popped out. She screamed and fell backwards as Kumajirou took in a deep breath.

"Woah! It's hot in there. Canadoody, you forgot about me didn't you?" the bear said in his cute little voice and crawled out of the bag.

"Eh?! Teresa are you okay?" he asked and leaned over the bed. She quickly got up and dusted off the back of her thin pajama pants.

"I'm fine but…What the hell is this thing?" she asked and poked the bear.

"That's Kumajiji-"

"Kumajirou." the animal corrected. He stood up on the bed and looked at Teresa. "So you're his girlfriend huh? You're pretty."

She turned red and Matthew grabbed him. "Oh don't mind him. I can't leave him at home long so I have to bring him to places. Evem at parties he insists on coming along."

"B-But you stuffed him in a bag for hours!"

"I'm alright. I ate the snacks he left for me." the bear said rocking back and forth on the bed. She was too tired to deal with this so she just left the room.

"Kumajimo! Why'd you do that!" Matthew asked frantically.

"Do what? Who're you?"

"I'm your owner! Canada, Matthew!"

"And that short girl was your girlfriend?"

"No! If she treats me all awkward in the morning it's your fault!"

"Are you mad at me Canader?" he asked innocently and looked up at him with his small, black eyes.

Matthew flopped down on the bed and patted his head. "No…I'm not mad at you. I can never be mad at you Kumajunana." The bear cuddled next to his owner before whispering "But you know she's really short but pretty."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note: Teresa is the jealous type...she's possessive over her boys. (It's scary)**_

The morning came by faster than he expected. Matthew didn't wake up when the sun first shone through the window but he did wake up when he smelt a familiar aroma. He quickly sat up and accidently knocked Kumajiro off the bed. The bear got up and said "Hey? What was that for?"

"Sorry Kuma. I think I smell-"

"Pancakes!" shouted the bear as he sprinted out of the room on all fours. Matthew sighed and started to get dressed for the day.

"Pancakespancakespancakespancakespancakes." chanted Kumajiro as he walked into the kitchen. Teresa smiled when he walked in and he tilted his head. Why was she happy to see him?"

"Buenos dias Kuma. I'm guessing you want pancakes?"

"Yes! I love pancakes! Hey….they smell different."

"This is the first time making pancakes and-"

"You've never had pancakes before?!"

"I have, I've just never made them. I added my special touch to them."

"Huh? What's that mean-"

"Kuma! Where did you run off to eh?" asked Matthew quietly.

"You're going to have to be louder than that if you want to be heard!" shouted Teresa from the kitchen. He sighed and started to follow the scent of pancakes. But maybe they weren't pancakes. He walked in the kitchen and sniffed the air.

"Are you making-"

"Pancakes yes."

"She's never made pancakes before." Kumajiro pointed out as he pulled on his owner's leg. Matthew picked him up and he perfectly fit in his arms. "Is that true?" he asked nervously. The first time Arthur made pancakes it didn't go so well.

"Well….yes but I consider myself a good cook. No worries this will be good. Go get situated a the table." she said and turned the pancake over. He noticed there was something being embedded into it but walked off without saying anything.

In less than five minutes she came in with his plate ready. It had eggs and Canadian ham. Amazingly, that's what she called it too. Alfred just called it bacon.

"Wh-What's in the pancakes?"

"Jalapeños."

"Seriously? How'd you-"

"When I made the batter I just put in some sliced pieces."

"O-Oh." he mumbled and then started eating his eggs.

Teresa was sitting across from him and seemed to be enjoying her breakfast which was identical to his. When she looked up to ask him "Why aren't you eating the pancakes?"

He turned red at being caught. He was hoping that she wouldn't notice. "Eh? I-I'm eating them."

She frowned and replied "No you're not. Do you seriously doubt my cooking skills? I promise you that they aren't spicy. Zesty at the most.

"Zesty?"

"Just try them! I made them for you~" she said and gave him and odd look. She looked sweet yet menacing at the same time.

"Very well, I'll try your jalapeño pancakes." he said as he gave in. She smiled expectantly as he doused the fluffy cakes in maple syrup. He took a small bite and scrunched up his nose as he braced himself for the conflicting flavors. After chewing it, he realized there was no surprise.

"Mira, jalapeños and pancakes work out together don't they?" she said and tilted her head.

He nodded because it was rude to talk with your mouth open. As he scarfed down his short stack, she served him some more. He looked up at her confused until she said " We have a big day ahead of us so you better fill up now if you don't like the heat of Mexican food." He complied and at 6 pancakes that morning.

After Teresa was done with the dishes, she sighed and dried her hands. "Matthew can you come in here for a second?" she shouted. Matthew slipped his glasses back on and walked down the hall. He was already dressed and ready for whatever she had planned for the day. At least that's what he thought until he walked past the living room. The whole coffee table had colored jars scattered around it. He passed by on his way to the kitchen. "U-Uh yes?"

"Go take a seat in the living room." she said with another big smile. Now she seemed too excited. He did as he was told and took a seat on the couch. The jars on the table interested him and his curiosity got the better of him. He opened one and sniffed it. Paint?

"Mattie~ Do you want me to paint your face first?" she asked and smoothing strolled into the living room. He thought about it and said "Well…..what will it look like?"

"Like a skull. I can do a really simple one where it's just black and white or I can decorate it nicely. Body painting is a tradition for this day."

"I guess you can-"

"Bien! And you should take off your shirt…..so you don't get paint on it." she said, adding in the last part awkwardly. He slipped off his green t-shirt and placed it behind him. He swore he caught Teresa staring at his bare chest but couldn't be certain. She had turned away and picked up the white paint. "This is a little cold so.." she said as she dipped her fingers in the white substance. She slicked it over his forehead and he shivered at the temperature. He felt awkward being half naked under her as she concentrated on painting his face.

Almost 20 minutes later she said she was done and took a step back to admire her work. She shrugged and handed him a small mirror so he could see himself. He gasped by how different he looked. His eyes looked sunken within the dark circles she put around them. The tip of his nose was also black which greatly contrasted with the white on his cheeks. She had even added a few fluttering maple leaves under his temple. "I like the leaves you added." he remarked and turned his head to get a better look.

"I hoped so. Now you aren't going to see me for about the next hour and half so I suggest letting the paint dry before putting your shirt back on." she said.

~About an hour later~

Matthew eventually found himself back outside. This time he was in her front yard and watched the people in the street. Children were holding their parents hands and were swung from them. A lot of them had paint on their faces too. When they made eye contact with Matthew they smiled and waved. He nervously waved back just to return the gesture.

He went back to looking at the flowers and different plants surrounding him. He liked how they naturally grew up the sides of a fence. "Matthew? Are you out here?" she asked from the porch. He popped his head up and his eyes widened. He was surprised by the complexity of the patterns on her face. She had the same basic skull shape on, but also a bunch of swirls around the curves of her face. The lines crossing her lips made it seem like an abnormally long mouth had been stitched up. Despite how creepy it should've been, he found it beautiful. The paint went all the way down to the neckline of her dress and the flower in her hair matched the colors swirled onto her face.

"Wow, you look amazing! Wai- I er mean the paint. It looks great." he said and corrected himself. Teresa smiled and replied "Gracias Matthew. Let's go now."

"Go where?"

"To a main street tonto. That's where all the excitement happens. There's a parade with dancers and lanterns. It'll be amazing, I promise." she said and grabbed his arm. He allowed himself to be lead into the street.

Teresa stopped pulling him along when they got to their destination. By then it was getting dark and several candles were lighting up the windows of shops. Almost every building had skull themes displays. Suddenly something occurred to him. Why were they worshipping Death? Wasn't that sort of….Satanic. But he knew better than to ask someone about something like that. It took him a couple of minutes to figure out how to ask his questions. "So why do you celebrate Dias los Muertos?"

"What a wonderful question. Well… it started with the Aztecs and their worshipping of a God. Eventually when the Spanish came and ruined their culture, they had to stop worshipping the God. Instead they replaced it with a similar entity which is Muerte. It is represented by a woman just to show how beautiful it really is. Now it's more about respecting those who have passed on rather than Muerte itself." she explained as they walked down the crowded street.

"Wow…D-Does anyone still perform human sacrifices?" he asked. It was something he always wondered.

"Hah! You're muy lindo Mattie. No one does that any more…well they aren't allowed to here anyways." she said a bit too calmly. It was as if she knew something about it that no one else did. He was a bit creeped out and decided against asking about it. Instead he followed her to a food vendor; there she bought a couple of churros. "Wow th-these are long." he said as he took his."Aren't they supposed to be curled?"

"Hmm? Curled? That's how they primarily make it in Spain. Here they're usually straight and thicker. I rarely see them bent all out of shape." she said as she munched on the warm treat. Both of them ate their churros rather quickly and threw away the small papers that came with them.

Matthew had gotten distracted looking at all of the lights and dancers around. Their makeup was just as beautiful as Teresa's except they had bones painted onto their arms and legs too. He actually stopped in his tracks just to see how the right colors spun around them on their skirts. When he looked back up, he didn't see Teresa. He spun around and searched for her for a good minute until he made his way to the buildings lining the street. He sighed and grabbed the cellphone from his pocket. Surely she had a phone too. That's when he realized that she probably didn't have it because she would've had some bag with her. It was 1999 too; the phones were still a bit bulky.

Suddenly, a gorgeous girl walked up to him and pulled on his sleeve. She smiled brightly at him and held out a her small hand as she asked "Baila?"

"Eh…..N-No hablo español." he muttered.

She frowned then rubbed her slender chin before asking again, this time in English. "A-A dance?" He blinked once as he took in his situation. It's not like he would find Teresa soon in this type of place, might as well enjoy himself. Before he could take her hand, she grabbed his and brought him to the crowd where other people were dancing. He swayed side to side awkwardly as she moved around him. He had seen plenty of dances and was pretty good himself, but this didn't feel right. It was crowded and loud.

When Teresa noticed she lost Matthew she angrily sighed and rubbed her temples. "Always in a crowd." she mumbled to herself before walking back down the street. By now all the candles and lights were on. People crowded the sidewalk and didn't mind bumping into her. She was irritated so she didn't mind pushing her way through either.

Eventually she found a light post. She stood on the base of it and blocked its light with her hand. She squinted and tried to find his blonde hair and awkward curl. Not many people were as light skinned as him around here, but a lot of them had similar face paints.

Matthew was actually having fun dancing with this mystery girl. So much fun he didn't notice how Teresa was glaring the couple down. A few men passing by thought about flirting with her, until they felt the hostile aura coming from her. She mumbling something in Spanish before Death interrupted her.

"I thought you were out with Canada." he said.

"I was then I lost track of him."

"Found him. He's dancing with a girl. Hell, she's prettier than you."

"Shut up!...She is not."

"Well she got your man."

"He's not-"

"I know. Calm yourself. Are you going to let her just dance with him like that?"

"Y-You're not helping."

"Whatever, I'll just go back to your house and talk to my new friend."

"N-New? Another spirit?"

"No way. That bear thing is awesome. Better than talking with . Soooooo bye bitch~" he said and floated away into the night. He was so much happier on the couple of days she usually celebrated with him. She wished he was a girl like how the Aztec Empire had previously made it. In fact, the only reason Death was represented with a woman was just to spite Death himself. He and the Aztec Empire didn't get together personally.

Teresa had enough time watching this unfold and got down from her perch. She pushed her way through the dancing crowd and got a few curse words in return. By now she didn't care and had her eyes set on Matthew's back. The girl caught sight of her before Matthew did and frowned. Seeing her obvious distress, he turned around and gasped when he saw his host standing before him. She was much shorter than him but still seemed intimidating.

The girl stood in front of him and pouted as she said "¿Qué quieres? ¿No pueden ver cómo estábamos ocupados?" (What do you want? Can you not see how we were busy?)

Teresa scowled back to her before replying "Callate perra. Quiero tus sucias garras de encima antes de que me arranco las malditas armas y les doy de comer a un maldito cerdo. ¿Me entiendes? ¿Se lleva bien esto a través de esa mente cachonda de los tuyos?" (Shut up you bitch. I want your dirty claws off of him before I rip off your fucking arms and feed them to a damn pig. Do you understand me? Does this get through that slutty mind of yours?)

She gasped and turned red all at the same time. The girl was staring straight into Teresa eyes which made the threat all the more affective. She ran off about to cry.

"W-Woah! What did you say to her eh?!" asked Matthew. She angrily sighed then forced herself to change her mood. If there was anything Antonio taught her, it was to act like nothing happened. She smiled and replied "Nothing that she didn't deserve. I'm not mad at you either so don't worry."

"I'm sorry though. Instead of looking for you I went around dancing with one of your citizens."

"It's my fault for losing track of you. Besides, Lovino does the same thing every time he comes over." she said without a smile. Maybe she was used to being replaced by now. Suddenly she slipped her slender fingers into Matthews and clenched his hand. He looked down and wasn't sure whether to hold her hand back or not. "It's so we don't get lost." she persuaded. He smiled and held it back anyways. His cold hand was quickly warmed by hers.

Meanwhile back at her house, Kumajiro was having a decent conversation.

"So….who are you?" he asked.

"Death. Who are you?" asked the large, dark spirit.

"I'm Kumajiro. I like pancakes and maple syrup. Fish is good too. Do you like fish?"

"Sure. Especially salmon."

"Salmon is good isn't it? Especially when I catch them live in the rivers Cana-something takes me to. I like to rip out their fishy throats while they beg for mercy."

Death went quiet for a bit then smiled. "You are a vicious creature full of deadly intentions aren't you?"

"Pretty much! But my owner doesn't let me do bad stuff like that. I just sit at home or on his lap, planning out an attack. Sometimes I just wanna punch one of the countries in the face. Especially Alfred. He treats my owner badly. He treats your owner bad too doesn't he?"

"W-What? You mean Teresa? She doesn't own me! If anything I own her!"

"Sure okay." said Kumajiro rolling his eyes. "Hey do you have any food?"

"No…..But I know where to get some." he said as he floated to the kitchen. He didn't even have to look through the drawers to find what he needed. He knew where everything was. The liquors were hidden in the pantry, but he needed those for later. Teresa would probably get mad at him if he drank them all again anyways. Instead he pulled out a bag of candy, American candy.

"Why does she have candy?"

"Because sometimes kids come over and she wants to be nice. She doesn't like them herself. She eats tamarind shit. It literally looks like shit too." he ranted on. As he complained about tamarind, he opened the bag and gave some to his polar bear friend.

When the two nations got home, something was instantly wrong. Matthew didn't notice but Teresa did. She walked straight to the kitchen and found the empty bag of candy laying on the floor along with some wrappers. Kumajiro was innocently sitting in the middle of them with colorful stains on his face.

"What?" he asked with a mouthful of candy. Matthew walked in and gasped. "Kumajiho! How dare you go through her stuff looking for food. What about the snacks I packed for you?"

"Well I didn't go through her stuff. Death did. And I ate all of those too."

"Death?" he asked and turned to Teresa."

She facepalmed and sighed. "He's a real jerk most of the time. And I can't get rid of him…You know what Mattie? Let Kumajiro eat all that candy, I don't mind. And….I understand if you want to leave tomorrow morning or tonight." she said, unsure of her own mood.

"Why would I want to leave? That street festival tonight was really fun. And I'm wondering what we're going to do tomorrow."

She nervously smiled and said "I have this tradition where I basically stay in my house the whole day. I don't answer any phone calls or emails. It's just Muerte and me…..and about 6 others."

"Who's Muerte and the 6 others."

"You'll find out tomorrow if you want but…the one time I tried showing Alfred he ran out crying. I think you're much braver than him though. You might benefit from meeting…them. Not Death, I'll make him leave you alone. He can't even kill anything, the idiot."

"Death can't kill?" he asked with a smile. That was unbelievable.

"He just keeps the order. For millions of years maybe? I really don't listen to his boring stories. Anyways, I guess we should get ready to go to sleep. "

Matthew nodded. Now he was nervous about tomorrow. This talk about spirit really creeped him out, but he was also curious. He decided he wouldn't leave tomorrow.


End file.
